Local moms launch lunch charity for Tanzania

Three local moms have started The Lunch Project to provide a hot lunch for children at the Lemanyata Primary School in Arusha, Tanzania. To kick off the financial support of The Lunch Project, co-founders Rebecca Wofford, Sheri Buske and Kristin Steele will have a wine reception at the Shain Gallery, 2823 Selwyn Ave., from 6-9 p.m. today.

The premise of The Lunch Project: Each day, students will bring a bowl from home along with firewood they collect while walking to school. While the children are busy in their classrooms, local mothers will prepare their afternoon meal. Funding from The Lunch Project will provide the $60 it takes each day to feed the school's 950 students.

"Every mother knows that hungry children cannot focus on their lessons, so even the smallest donation can make a big impact on a child’s learning ability," Buske said.

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The Lunch Project will use local food purveyors and hire local moms to cook the meals. “The children get a nourishing hot meal, local mothers become more engaged in children’s education and local food vendors benefit from selling their produce,” Wofford said.

The Lunch Project is an outreach of The Ernest and Ava Foundation. The foundation works to foster a sense of global community between families in United States and Tanzania. It focuses its resources on using education as the catalyst for growth, understanding and prosperity for both individuals and communities on both sides of the Atlantic.